Mumbai: The total value of digital broadcast rights (Indian subcontinent) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) has reached Rs 23,757.52 crore for five years on day three of the bidding process. This means that the value of digital media rights to the IPL has surpassed the TV broadcast rights valued at Rs 23,575 crore for the 2022-2027 cycle.

Package C which includes non-exclusive digital broadcast rights were sold to Viacom18 at a whopping Rs 3257.54 crore for five years or Rs 33.24 crore per match for 98 matches. Viacom18 has also successfully bid for the exclusive digital rights to the tournament valued at Rs 20,500 crore. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had set the base price for the non-exclusive digital rights at Rs 1568 crore for five years or Rs 16 crore per match.

The total valuation of IPL media rights for the next five years has reached Rs 47,332.52 crore. The bidding for Package D which includes international media rights is currently underway.

The highly anticipated auction was first announced on 29 March by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The contenders for broadcast rights included Disney Star, Sony Pictures Networks India and Viacom18. The bidders for digital rights include Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Disney+ Hotstar and Reliance Jio. Mjunction is conducting the auction.

The IPL is the second most valuable sports property after the National Football League (NFL) in terms of broadcast price per match. The value of the media rights per match has reached almost Rs 114 crore leaving the Premier League behind which is valued at around Rs 81 crore per match. The action continues on wednesday.